The Journées du Patrimoine are back for the weekend of September 20 and 21, 2025 in Paris and the Île-de-France region. Every year, this European cultural event invites you to take advantage of free tours and unique activities in museums, monuments and châteaux , as well as in places that are usually closed to the public. A rare opportunity to discover the secrets of the Paris region's heritage !
This time, we're taking you to Seine-Saint-Denis, to the town of Saint-Denis, home to one ofFrance' s most historic monuments: the Basilica of Saint-Denis , where the kings of France are laid to rest. Known as the necropolis of the kings, this basilica is a treasure trove ofGothic architecture.
Journées du Patrimoine 2025: discover the most beautiful churches in Paris and the Île-de-France region
Thanks to the Journées du Patrimoine 2025, churches, chapels and cathedrals in Paris and the Île-de-France region will be revealing their secrets and history this weekend, September 20-21, 2025. [Read more]
The Journées du Patrimoine in Paris take place over the weekend of September 20-21, 2025. We invite you to discover the rare medieval monuments that can still be seen in the capital, and discover medieval Paris. [Read more]
It stands on an ancient Gallo-Roman cemetery where Saint-Denis, the first bishop of Paris, is buried. Legend has it that he was beheaded on the Butte Montmartre. He then walked north, carrying his head, before stopping in front of a pious woman named Catulla. He gave her his head and collapsed. He was buried where the cathedral now stands, giving his name to the city of Saint-Denis.
Architectures in Seine-Saint-Denis, season 2
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### Contemporary heritage (19th-20th centuries) in Seine-Saint-Denis
From the former match factory in Aubervilliers to the area around the Basilica in Saint-Denis, whether it's a former printing works in Bobigny or a block of apartments in need of renovation, architectural heritage evolves over time in its forms and uses. Season 2, dedicated to the transformation of monuments and the region, shows how these sites, as told by historians and architects, have stood the test of time. A cross-section of views highlights the buildings, some of them very recent, that make Seine-Saint-Denis so special.
All Season 2 videos are also subtitled in English.
Watch all "Architectures en Seine-Saint-Denis" videos on the **YouTube**channel of the Département de la Seine-Saint-Denis.
The cathedral basilica of Saint-Denis, a former royal abbey, illuminated the artistic, political and spiritual history of the Middle Ages for centuries.
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It stands on the site of the tomb of Denis, the first bishop of Paris, martyred around 250. Abbot Suger, friend of King Louis VI, advisor to King Louis VII and regent of France for two years, had the Carolingian abbey church rebuilt between 1135 and 1144. This year marks the 900th anniversary of his accession to the abbatiate on March 11, 1122. To mark the occasion, artist Nayel Zeaiter is presenting a 50-metre-long illustrated life of Abbé Suger in the chevet. This first monumental masterpiece of Gothic art was conceived as an immense reliquary dedicated to light, and destined to venerate the relics of Saint Denis. In 1231, Saint Louis completed the edifice. Nicknamed the "Lucerna", or lantern, because of its luminosity, the 13th-century basilica is a major work of Gothic art, with an exceptionally large transept designed to house the royal tombs. Having become one of the main necropolises for Merovingian aristocrats and Carolingian sovereigns, the powerful Benedictine abbey definitively linked its destiny to that of royalty under the Capetians, becoming the burial place of the kings of France. 42 kings, 32 queens, 63 princes and princesses and 10 servants of the kingdom were buried here. The royal necropolis houses over 70 carved recumbent figures and tombs dating from the 12th to 16th centuries, bearing witness to past grandeur and making this one of the world's most important funerary complexes.
Current exhibitions
Le Pavillon du Sommeil: towards the light!
An installation by Joseph Dadoune
and
Les Gisants en Lumière by Gael Mooney
Paintings
Watch live as craftsmen bring the basilica's vanished tower and spire back to life. Witness real stones being cut for reconstruction, using the ancestral skills of the builders. An exceptional piece of craftsmanship to see up close and personal.
Take part in an exceptional tour of the roof of the Basilica of Saint-Denis!
Discover the secrets of the monument by visiting a section usually closed to the public. It's a unique opportunity to admire the Gothic architecture from another angle, and to enjoy an unparalleled panorama of the city and the spire under reconstruction.
Group tours of 15 minutes.
Le Concert de la Loge
Julien Chauvin, conductor and violin
A participatory concert based on Vivaldi's Four Seasons: enjoy a sensory experience together, and rediscover Vivaldi's work in a playful, immersive way in the Basilica.
Aimed at a family audience, this concert will be a unique and original experience. The narrative music of the Four Seasons will be enhanced by audience participation, creating a symbiotic relationship between auditorium and stage. Around David Joignaux, loyal percussionist with the Concert de la Loge for many years, the audience will be invited to accompany the musicians as they imitate the sounds of nature using everyday objects or small percussion instruments.
The Four Seasons are part of a larger group of concertos composed by Vivaldi under the title "The Test of Harmony and Invention". An ambition that echoes that of the reconstruction of the Basilica's Tower and Spire during these European Heritage Days. The Four Seasons were published in 1725, just over 300 years ago, and are now an integral part of European heritage.
Event in partnership with the Festival de Saint-Denis
With the support of the Ministère de la Culture - Direction régionale des affaires culturelles d'Île-de-France, the Centre des monuments nationaux & Suivez la Flèche and the Festival de Saint-Denis
On the square in front of the basilica, come and pose on the life-size layout of the future spire, alongside other participants. Let yourself be immortalized by an aerial shot: a spectacular photo that will bring to life the shadow cast by the spire before it is rebuilt.
Organ concert with Martin Gregorius
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PROGRAM
NICOLAS DE GRIGNY (1672-1703)
Hymn A solis ortus
I. Plein Jeu
II. Fugue à 5
III. Trio
IV. Point d'Orgue sur les Grands Jeux
SIGFRID KARG-ELERT (1870-1937)
Three Impressions op. 108
I. Sunset
II. Starlight
III. Elegiac Poem
MARTIN GREGORIUS (*1991)
Improvisation
AUGUST GOTTFRIED RITTER (1811-1885)
Sonata in A minor Op. 23 No. 3
Martin GREGORIUS, born in 1991 in Gdynia (Poland), completed his studies at the Academy of Music in Gdansk (Poland), the Academy of Music in Detmold (Germany) and the Conservatoires Nationaux Supérieurs de Musique in Paris and Lyon, where he obtained a diploma in organ performance (Konzertexamen), as well as in improvisation, composition and sacred music. He has studied with Michel Bouvard, Hanna Dys, Thierry Escaich, François Espinasse, László Fassang, Olivier Latry, Philippe Lefebvre, Tomasz Adam Nowak, Roman Perucki, Pierre Pincemaille and Liesbeth Schlumberger.
In 2017, he obtained a doctorate in music performance from the Academy of Music in Poznan (Poland), with the thesis topic "Between improvisation and composition. The French organ school in the light of selected representatives."
Following his participation in international organ and improvisation competitions, Martin Gregorius has won numerous prizes in Germany, Austria, Italy, Luxembourg and Poland. In 2016, he won First Prizes at the International Improvisation Competitions: Westfalen Impro 6 in Münster/Billerbeck (Germany) and Aigen-Schlägl (Austria). He has also received awards and scholarships from the President of the Republic of Poland and the Polish Minister of Culture.
He has taken part in numerous masterclasses in organ performance and improvisation with Paolo Crivellaro, Pieter van Dijk, Andrés Cea Galán, Ludger Lohmann, Michel Radulescu, Louis Robilliard, Wolfgang Seifen and Wolfgang Zerer.
Martin Gregorius has established himself as a concert artist in many European countries, in the USA and in the most important concert halls in Japan. He has performed under conductors such as Matthias Bamert, Simon Gaudenz, Yuki Kakiuchi, Max Pommer, Shuntaro Sato, Kanade Yokoyama, and has collaborated with prestigious orchestras such as the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra, the Prague Symphony Orchestra and the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie. For the 2017/2018 season, he was titular organist at the Kitara Concert Hall in Sapporo (Japan), where he recorded his debut album, Stained Glass Dances. From 2018 to 2021, Martin Gregorius was titular organist at St. Pancras Church in Gütersloh (Germany).
In 2020, he was appointed Professor of Organ and Improvisation at the Regensburg Conservatory of Music (Germany) and, in 2023, Professor of Improvisation at Munich University of Music and the Arts. Since 2021, he has been titular organist at St. James's Basilica in Straubing.
Le programme est mis à jour en fonction des annonces officielles.
Interested? Happy Heritage Days in Seine-Saint-Denis!
Dates and Opening Time
From September 20, 2025 to September 21, 2025
Location
Saint-Denis Basilica
1, Rue de la Légion d'Honneur
93200 Saint Denis
Prices
Free
Official website
www.saint-denis-basilique.fr
Journées du Patrimoine 2025: discover the most beautiful churches in Paris and the Île-de-France region
Journées du Patrimoine 2025: the program at medieval monuments in Paris and the Île-de-France region
